Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

The summer of this year passed by with Jin Yuyan completely falling out of favor, and fell silent for a long time. Ruyi's pregnancy again made the emperor almost hold her in the palm of his hand, and even the queen mother sighed: "The queen is not young, and she has been pregnant one after another in the past few years, which shows that the holy family is grand, and she is really envious of the funeral concubine gone." This is true.Probably because of Jing Si's early death, she was pregnant with the child in her womb, even the emperor and Ruyi whispered side by side, thinking that Jing Si had come back again.And Qin Tianjian even said: "The purple light of the Ziwei star in the sky is a sign of auspiciousness. The empress's birth must be the auspicious fetus that inherits the heart of heaven and descends from An Zongzhao. It is very precious."

Qin Tianjian has always observed the sky and predicted disasters and fortunes, and the emperor believed it very much.And after Jing Si and the sixth princess died young, the emperor also hoped that the child in her womb would bring more joy, and he was even more overjoyed because of the sadness and resentment in the palace.This kind of love and compassion made the emperor treat Ruyi like pearls and treasures. If there were no urgent court affairs, he would definitely come to eat and talk with Ruyi every day. Although Ruyi didn't really believe in Qin Tianjian's happy news, she always thought it was a bit of flattery to win the emperor's favor, but she didn't say anything, just smiled.

Everyone in the palace was immersed in the joy of Zhonggong Youxi, and completely forgot that there was Jin Yuyan. The autumn wind is rustling, and the red leaves are falling.The sky is full of frost, and the snow is like weaving. In the early winter of the 20th year of Qianlong, in November, the first light snow arrived. Ruyi's month is already very old, and seeing the day of giving birth is getting closer, she is getting lazy and her body is getting heavier and heavier.The wedding pit had already been dug in Yikun Palace, and Ruyi's Emiang also came into the palace to accompany her.And the people from the Sixth Palace also come to accompany them every day.It was really lively at the door, and even the threshold was about to be broken.

On this day, Jiang and Bin came to ask for Ruyi's pulse. Ruyi leaned on the bed, her lazy posture reminiscent of a lotus flower blooming in a blue pool in summer. Jiang Yubin said: "Everything is fine with the baby in the womb. Your mother is getting older, so you have to be careful when sitting up. Especially when it's snowing these days, be careful when you go out." Rong Pei pursed his lips and said with a smile: "Master Jiang always said everything we slaves should be careful about." Ruyi caressed her protruding belly, and said with a smile: "I have given birth to two children, so I understand everything. It's hard for you to worry about it. Now that I am the mother of two children, I just want to help you." This palace is worried."

Jiang Yubin said: "I have served my mother for half my life, so there is nothing wrong with it. It is snowing these days, and her legs and feet are inconvenient. She can't come to pay her respects, so she just concentrates on making small clothes at home. I hope I can contribute to her." For the little elder brother in the womb of the empress." There is a row of blooming narcissus in the hall, and more than ten petals in pots and pots are rolled into clusters.The corolla gradually turns from light yellow to pale white, reflecting hundreds of emerald green and slender leaves, so it is called "Yu Linglong".At this time, the narcissus was drunk by the silver charcoal in the copper brazier in the temple, and the fragrance of flowers overflowed, just like sweet wine intoxicating.

Ruyi smiled and said, "You said it was a little brother, and Imperial Physician Qi also said it was a little brother. Is it really that accurate?" Hailan smiled and said: "Not only the imperial physician said so, but even the Tianjian Qin also spoke this time, saying that the empress's birth is extremely auspicious and blessed." Ruyi flicked the golden cotton quilt woven with peach and purple persimmons covering her body, and on the surface of the quilt was woven with a picture of Hehe boys playing in silver thread, reflecting the flowers and colors of the melons and melons on the cherry red cotton tent. With the joy of new life.Even Hailan, who usually wears elegant clothes, has a rouge-colored double-petal camellia on her temples.Ruyi looked at the golden stamens, and secretly thought with a smile: Is this variety "Sai Luoyang" or "Zui Yang Fei"?

It doesn't matter, the left and right are joyful red. Concubine Xin caressed Ruyi's belly with infinite admiration, with tears in her eyes: "The empress's luck is the best. I think this is the return of the fifth princess." Ruyi looked at her, felt no pity, and said softly, "Don't worry, the sixth princess will come back. I have been in the palace for many years, and I have the blessing of being happy again and again. You are still young, and the blessings will be deeper." Concubine Xin flashed a gleam of joy, and immediately gritted her teeth and said, "The empress is right, the concubine believes in blessings and even more in retribution." She said cheerfully, "I heard that Jin Yuyan is terminally ill and will die soon."

Ruyi was a little surprised: "A terminal illness? How come I don't know?" Hailan hurriedly said: "The empress is pregnant, who dares to talk nonsense about such an unlucky thing, disturbing the empress's tranquility. It's just that Concubine Jia is really afraid that she will not succeed. The empress knows that Li Chao has sent another Called a young girl over, saying that she was sent to serve in the palace, but in fact, it was not because of concubine Jia's failure, so she hurriedly searched for a newcomer, for fear of losing her favor and backing." Concubine Xin sneered: "Sister Concubine Yu, I have vaguely heard about this, and it's not this time. Ever since Concubine Jia fell out of favor and the fourth elder brother gave birth to an heir, how many girls Li Chaobabaer sent over, didn't the emperor give them all? Are the princes of Baelor from all the palaces dead? None of them stayed in the palace."

Ruyi shook her head lightly: "This time it's different. Li Chao is so gracious, the emperor's kindness is hard to turn down. When I came to dinner last night, I mentioned that a Song family has been left as a nobleman. It is said that there are also two classes of nobles. The daughter of Li Chao is also a beauty personally selected by the son of Li Chao, and she will enter the palace in a few days. This way, it is not too much to save Li Chao's face, but it also calms their hearts." Concubine Xin curled her lips contemptuously, and stuffed the silk into the twisted silk white jade bracelet on her wrist: "Li Chao's heart is too anxious, Concubine Jia is not dead yet, so she sent the newcomer here with red eyebrows and white eyes. We didn't The people of her mother clan who are looking forward to her dying will be looking forward to it first."

Ruyi leaned on the soft pillow with fragrant flower patterns on her back, and muttered: "Concubine Jia is so ill, has the emperor visited her?" "The emperor is busy with government affairs, so he doesn't have time to spare." Concubine Xin smiled happily, her cheeks were slightly flushed, "Since the fourth elder brother was born, the emperor has never visited Concubine Jia. What's more, there is someone in Yongshou Palace. As soon as the emperor is pregnant, he will not only accompany the empress, but also often visit her when he has free time." What Concubine Xin was referring to was Yan Wan, the concubine of Yongshou Palace. After years of looking forward to her son, in November, the imperial physician finally diagnosed her with a happy pulse. How could she not be overjoyed?Even the emperor loves him very much.

Hailan sighed lightly, like a cold wind swirling against the ground: "Since the empress was pregnant, the emperor called concubine Ling the most, and it was expected that she would be pregnant." Concubine Xin said: "When Concubine Ling was lowly, she was always bullied by Concubine Sheng. Now that Concubine Jia is lonely, she is so proud. It's really a turn of events." Beside the pillow, there is a pair of purple jade carved lotus Ruyi.It was originally given to her as a pillow by the emperor himself. The purple jade all over her body is delicate and moist, warm to the touch.The upper part is pure white in jade color, cut into two lifelike fish, swimming flexibly with the waves.The jade color at the bottom is gradually turning purple, and it is decorated in the shape of a lotus flower with tangled branches and pedicles, which is extremely warm and moist. Ruyi caressed the slippery jade handle, smiled lightly, and lazily said, "Concubine Jia is today, thanks to my sister's Amaji." Concubine Xin gritted her teeth, and smiled happily: "Since she took the life of her concubine and her beloved daughter, she is not happy with the retribution that she has ended up like this! I also blame her and Li Chao's people for being confused and delusional. Concubine Ama I have been an official in the court for many years, and there are always some old disciples. I just went to the envoy of the Li Dynasty and said to me that if the fourth elder brother is the heir of the empress Xingxian, he will be eager to go, and he doesn't know what the emperor is. temper!" "You did a great job." Ruyi praised her, and said thoughtfully, "Has anyone in the palace visited Concubine Jia?" Seeing that she cared, Hai Lan said, "You know Concubine Jia's popularity in the palace, Empress. Now that she's in such a predicament, the fourth elder brother has also sent her out to someone else, and no one cares about her. " Concubine Xin spat bitterly: "You have committed evil, you must not live!" Ruyi's eyes turned, and she glanced at Jiang Yubin: "Is it true that Concubine Jia is going to die?" Jiang Yubin said: "I have seen Concubine Jia's pulse case, I'm afraid it will only be a few days." Ruyi caressed her slightly fluffy hair from sleep, and said lazily: "Although people in the palace don't like Concubine Jia, this palace is a queen, so I have to go and see, and I have to ask the truth about some things. Prepare the chariot Car." Qixiang Palace was originally only one step away from the emperor's residence after raising his heart, which shows that he has been loved and favored for many years.However, Nagato is taking one step at a time now and refuses to return to the car temporarily. The wind was cold in the snow, and the empty branches of the sycamore tree that had lost all their autumn leaves rustled.The flowers and plants in the courtyard withered, and even the palace people who were supposed to be serving didn't know where to hide.Only the residual red flakes piled up by a few maple trees reveal a glare of dark red from the thin snow. Ruyi caresses Rong Pei's hand and walks carefully. The bright yellow tangled peony Zhai Feng Chaoyang Pansi crane cloak is blown up by the wind. It spreads its huge and gorgeous wings like a colorful butterfly in the cold courtyard. The courtyard became more and more lonely, and the heavy door was closed. Spring comes and goes in a hurry, and the dazzling prosperity is empty in a blink of an eye.In the land of wealth and splendor back then, the concubine Jia, who was extremely favored for a while, also ended up in a golden well with a potter's wheel, full of flowers and red and cold. When Ruyi entered, the Qixiang Palace was filled with darkness, as if all the light could not shine into this once magnificent palace.Ruyi squinted her eyes for a while before she could gradually get used to the discomfort of walking into a dark room from the clear sunlight.She was a little surprised, only to realize that it was not the light, but all the gold-painted furniture, pearl and jade decorations, and gauze curtains, all like old things that had been accumulated for many years, dusty and without any brilliance.It seems that this resplendent and resplendent palace has also dimmed along with its owner. Although Ruyi hated Yuyan very much, she was a little startled when she first saw the desolation here.She stretched out her hand in disbelief, and wherever her fingers caressed, there was a thick layer of dust.Ruyi couldn't help but choked a few mouthfuls, Rong Pei quickly took the silk to wipe it for her, and said, "Where did everyone go?" Only then did the palace servants come in in a panic, as if they were slacking off to keep warm, their faces flushed with drunkenness. Seeing someone coming, Rong Pei became angrier: "Bold! How do you serve the imperial concubine?" The palace people were so frightened that they knelt on the ground and kowtowed one after another: "The empress forgives the sin, let the aunt forgive the sin. It's not that the servants don't take good care of them, it's because the noble concubine has not allowed the servants to clean this palace since she fell ill. One thing." Rong Pei frowned, and said sternly: "Presumptuous! The noble concubine is sick and confused, and you are also confused? It is clear that you bullied the noble concubine to be lazy when she was sick. If you want me to say, you will be dragged to the Punishment Department Respond heavily to the fifty sticks, let's see if you dare to despise the imperial concubine!" How could the palace people bear Rong Pei's tone, they kowtowed in fright: "Aunt Rong, spare your life, Aunt Rong, spare your life, the servants will not dare anymore." Ruyi was disturbed when she heard this, so she waved her hand and said, "You all kneel here begging for mercy, who will serve the imperial concubine inside?" The palace people looked at each other in blank dismay, only Li Xin served Jin Yuyan from the hidden mansion, and she had a bit of face, so she boldly said: "Young concubine, my lord, the servants are not allowed to serve by the side. They are all driven out." Ruyi pressed the silk to the tip of her nose, and said impatiently: "The imperial concubine is ill, it's just a temporary nonsense, are you willing to listen?" Li Xin was so frightened that her face turned pale: "Empress forgive me, it's not because the servants are bold enough not to serve, but because the young director who serves will be furious, saying that the servants are here to see a joke, so the servants are not summoned by the imperial concubine, so they can't wait." Don't dare to come any closer." In the midst of chaos, only a faint call from inside could be heard: "Who is outside?" Ruyi's ears were sharp, and she heard it immediately, waved her hand and said, "Everyone get out!" The palace people immediately dispersed and waited outside, Rongcheng helped Ruyi walk in slowly.The sleeping hall was even darker than the main hall. Through the faint snow light, Ruyi saw that the bunch of goldenrod chrysanthemums in the bottle had completely withered, and the black and wilting bunch was slanted in the bottle, dripping with unknown smell. Viscous juice. Ruyi felt a little disgusted, so she turned her head and stopped looking.Rong Pei wanted to find a brocade stool for her to sit on, but she couldn't find a clean one without dust, so she had to patiently choose one that was still eye-catching, wiped it with a silk cloth, and spread another piece of clean silk cloth, Ruyi was invited to sit down. Yuyan propped herself up, as if she had been looking for a long time before she could be identified, she gave a "crack" laugh: "So it's the queen!" That laughter was like a night owl perched on a branch in the dark, suddenly "quack" "The cry made people creepy.When she saw Ruyi, she didn't get up, she was still lazily lying on the bed, staring at Ruyi's tall belly, and said: "The queen's belly is so big, why are you willing to come here? Xianggong is such an unlucky place." Ruyi said lightly: "I heard that you are sick, so I came to see you. Are you feeling better?" Yuyan was only skinny, her expression was lazy, her hair was uncombed, her hair was disheveled, and her tone was languid with a bit of sharp viciousness: "I'm sick and can't get up, please go, I don't have any good tea for you, sit down Sit down and go. You are a noble person with good fortune and longevity, and if you harm others, you will not be able to damage your own good fortune. Don’t get caught up in the bad luck of my patient, if you catch it, you can’t drive it away!” Hearing her disrespectful words, Rong Pei didn't even say a proper address, she felt a little angry, but seeing that Ruyi treated her peacefully, she had no choice but to stand aside. Ruyi sat close to Yuyan's bedside, and could clearly smell the aura emanating from her body through the tip of her nose.It is the smell of about to rot that can only be found in a seriously ill person, like the rotten fragrance of a flower before it fades, and it is the kind of sweet rot that is so full of juice that it is about to disappear.There are also some, Ruyi wants to cover her nose, it has a faint fishy smell, whether it has not been washed for a long time or something else, she can't tell.Ruyi subconsciously covered her nose with a silk cloth, and suddenly caught sight of Yuyan's pajamas, the cuffs had been shredded, and the furry edges were exposed, as if bitten by some animal, it was uneven, and the cuffs Inside, there is still a circle of black and greasy dirt. Ruyi looked at her coldly, and said, "In the past, you were the one who loved cleanliness the most, why did you become like this now?" Yuyan looked at her with wide eyes, and lazily said: "No matter how clean it is, it will be the same when it is buried in the ground." Ruyi said: "Even if you are sick, you can get well after seeing the imperial physician and tidying up. Why do you let yourself do this to yourself?" Yuyan was so skinny, like a thin piece of skin attached to a handful of bony bones, looking at it suddenly, she thought it was a skeleton.The arm exposed under the cuff looks like a piece of dry wood, with veins protruding like earthworms.Ruyi still vaguely remembers when she first entered the mansion, Bai.Round, like a washed ginseng.Later, the baby-like roundness receded a bit, and it was also an extraordinarily plump face, so tender that water could be squeezed out.Even not so long ago, Yuyan's arms were still white like lotus root segments, with strings of exquisite seven treasure gold bracelets wrapped around her arms, which were as bright and charming as her laughter. Seeing Ruyi looking at her, Yuyan sneered again and again: "Why is the empress so hypocritical? Am I the one who abused myself? Who in the palace doesn't know that the emperor said it himself, or said it in front of your face. I am nothing more than a tribute. A tribute, if you throw it away, you throw it away, if it breaks, it breaks, there is nothing you can do to yourself!" Yuyan was a very sick person, she couldn't say a few words, she was gasping for breath.She shook her head, and the loose black silk swept across the back of Ruyi's hand, causing Ruyi to almost jump up.Yuyan's hair is the best in the whole palace, and she cherishes it very much. Every day, she washes it with boiled red ginseng water. Not even a cent.But now, brushing this hair on his hand, it pricks people like a burr. Looking at it with a ray of light, it looks like withered grass in autumn, lifeless. Ruyi saw her like this, although she was full of hatred, she couldn't help but feel a little sad, so she said: "The emperor is very angry, speaking in a moment of anger. If you really take it to heart, then you are being ignorant." "Unreasonable?" Yuyan laughed desolately, "All my life, I thought that I served the royal family as the daughter of the Joseon Dynasty, and I thought it was the glory of the royal family. For this, I have to fight for the rest of my life, and I finally won it. The glory of the noble concubine, she gave birth to a prince as a reliance. In the end, it was nothing more than someone saying, 'It's just a tribute, how can your son bear the heavy responsibility of the country'." Yuyan sneered, and looked up sadly, "My own It doesn't count if you lose all your dignity and face, even my sons have become children of tribute, and they have been implicated for the rest of their lives." Ruyi saw her so sad expression, and felt a bit of sympathy from her resentment: "After all, the princes are the emperor's own sons. Although they are just words of anger from the emperor, the emperor still loves them." "Beloved?" Yuyan's eyes were wide open, and her emaciated face became more and more terrifying, "Queen, you are a beautiful woman, and you should know better than me the truth that mother is more valuable than me! When the emperor was alive, the eighth elder brother was known as the virtuous king, and was elected as the prince by the ministers of the Manchu court. As a result, Lord Kangxi completely ruined the son's future with a sentence of "Xin Zheku's son of a lowly maidservant". No, eighth elder brother Her mother is Xin Zheku's lowly maidservant, so lowly that she can't be any lower. But no matter how lowly she is, she is not the woman chosen by the emperor himself. I followed the emperor for the rest of my life, but in the end, I even killed my own child and gave it to the royal family of the Li Dynasty. Shame on me! I live up to the king's expectations, so what's the point!" Ruyi was silent for a moment: "It's meaningless. Your own heart is dead, and your mother's heart is also dead. Tete came to tell you a happy event. A few days ago, Li Chao sent another Young girls enter the palace and want to present them to the emperor to invite them to be favored. How many of these girls are they this year?" She smiled suddenly, like the ice and snow in the sun, but the words in the air were like needles, "But congratulations to you , The emperor's kindness is hard to come by. He has already chosen a Song family as a nobleman. I heard that she is a beauty selected by the prince of the Li Dynasty. Just like you, she will enter the palace in a few days, and she will be accompanied by people from her hometown. , and she won’t be as lonely as she is now. Such a woman who has been selected out of thousands of thousands must not be inferior to your beauty back then, right? It’s just that this palace is watching coldly. If she follows your old path, no matter how beautiful she is, it’s meaningless.” Yuyan was listening quietly, but when she heard this, she could only see her chest heaving violently, like the raging waves in the sea, heaving and falling in shock: "I know you all look down on me, I've been looking down on me for more than forty years Put on makeup, wear red and green, and refuse to be old. Look down on me trying my best to flatter and please the emperor." Yuyan's body trembled violently, her voice became more and more shrill, she beat the edge of the bed vigorously, and said, "But why should they! Why do you hate me so much! My whole life is for myself, for my son, but it is all for Li Dynasty. For my mother clan, for the entrustment of my previous son when I married here! From the time I stepped out of the territory of Li Dynasty From that moment on, my heart has never changed! But I’m not dead yet, they all think I’m dead, and rush to send the newcomer here, are they afraid that I’ll be a drag on their glory and wealth?” Ruyi stared straight at her, refusing to let her go, approaching her and said, "Your heart hasn't changed, and so has your mother clan! If you're useful, you'll naturally care about everything; if you're useless, It is an abandoned son that no one cares about. I will tell you one more thing to cut off your wishful thinking. Today, the emperor has received a letter from the son of the Li Dynasty, saying that you are not a member of the Li Dynasty, but the main wife of your Jin family. I don’t know. Where did you take the wild child as your own daughter, and you can’t even tell whether you are from the Li Dynasty, the Han people, or where you came from. So you don’t even count as Li Chaoren’s family, and you risked your life for them to calculate what others are doing?”